Adaptable Mattress for Prone and Side Positions

ABSTRACT

The present invention is a bed, mattress, or passed surface adaptable for sleeping or lying in the face down positions, also known as prone position; the side position; or other desired resting position. The invention includes a main body, accessory pieces adaptable for the different positions, and an optional bed frame and headboard. The present invention can also be used for a supine or reclined sleeping position.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Provisional ApplicationNo. 62/828,323 titled Convertible Mattress for Prone and Side Positionfiled on Apr. 2, 2019.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an apparatus for lying or sleeping inthe side position and/or face down otherwise known as the proneposition.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Everyone has to sleep. Sleep is vitally important to achieving optimalhealth. The body regenerates itself during sleep. A healthy spine isalso crucial to optimal health. Achieving proper spinal alignment iscrucial to a healthy spine. On an ordinary flat, horizontally positionedmattress, it can be difficult to get the spine in proper alignment inthe side and prone sleeping positions. Side sleeping can cause back andshoulder pain. Sleeping and lying face down or prone can put extrastrain on the neck and back.

Nearly every day a new study or news piece talks about how importantsleep is for human health. Many factors effect one's sleep and thequality and length of that sleep. There are several positions in whichone can sleep. Sleeping on one's back and side are typically the mostcomfortable and most mattresses and sleep accessories are designed forpeople that sleep in these positions. Prone sleepers, people that sleepon their stomach, have little or no options when it comes to mattressesand products that would enable them to comfortably lie or sleep in sucha position for a long period of time.

When people sleep on their stomach with their head in an awkward andunhealthy positioning, it can cause stress to their spine and nervoussystem. A great majority of our healing and recovery happens when wesleep. The goal is to have your spine in a neutral position, unstresseddue to these factors.

The issues with lying on your side to sleep are the same as with stomachsleeping, plus some additional stressors to the shoulder. People tend totoss and turn all night due to pain and pressure from their mattress andpositioning.

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There are currently no mattresses, massage tables or sleeping surfacesavailable that can be adapted for normal, prone, and side restingpositions. The present invention is meant for sleeping, resting,massage, and in some embodiments can also accommodate multiple people onone mattress with each individual being able to rest in their owndesired position.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is an apparatus designed for lying and sleepingcomfortably in any position but specifically can be adapted for sideand/or prone positions. The apparatus includes a specially designedmattress, made of a cushioned material, mattress frame and headboard foraccommodating multiple positions.

The present invention presents with a mattress as one main body withadditional specially designed pillows and accessories for support.Sections at the top of the mattress can be removed and interchanged withother accessory pieces for comfort in the side or prone positions. Thesuperior or head portion of the mattress can also be raised or lowered.Optionally, the headboard portion moves to provide additional airflowwhile resting.

A standard mattress is a rectangular surface for supporting the restingbody. When you think of this bed, think of a puzzle, with every pieceadapting to your sleeping quality and health. This rectangular piece hasremovable portions in the two corners at the head portion of the bed aswell as a cushion that is removable from the head portion. Whilesleeping supine, all the pieces are intact like a regular mattress. Thenswitching to a side sleeping position, you would take out one of theside pieces and add either the side sleeper or the cuddler, a pieceshaped to allow for comfortable contact with a sleeping partner whileresting in the side position. As a prone bed, all the removable pieceswould be out to accommodate that position; it would also include an airpurifier under the bed to create fresh air to breathe while you sleep.

It is the object of the present invention for a person to positionthemselves comfortably while lying down or sleeping.

It is the object of the present invention for a person to lie or sleepin the supine position comfortably and/or for optimal spinal positionand health. This can be achieved by leaving the entire main body of themattress intact with the main accessory pieces.

It is the object of the present invention for a person to lie or sleepon either side of the body comfortably and/or for optimal spinalposition and health. It is also the object of the present invention fora person to lie of sleep on their side with optimal shoulder comfort.This positioning can be achieved by taking the facial cushion of themattress with the option of placing the cushion between the legs foroptimal spinal alignment. The two pieces next to the head portion of themain body can also be removed completely or interchanged with optionalaccessory pieces to allow for the desired shoulder and hand comfort.

It is the object of the present invention for a person to lie or sleepon their stomach, also referred to as the prone position, comfortablyand/or for optimal spinal position and health. This positioning isachieved by removing the facial insert to the head portion of the mainbody of the mattress and having the option to remove the two piecesdirectly next to the head portion for the hands and arms to rest in alower position.

In its most complete form the device comprises: 1) a main body portion;2) and interchangeable and adaptable cushions.

An additional option for the device is an adjustable head board andmattress frame to achieve the desired level of airflow while sleeping orpositioning in the prone position.

The term mattress as used herein is meant to mean: a rectangular shapedpadded or cushioned surface for supporting the reclining body.

Although the invention has been described in detail with reference toseveral embodiments additional variations and modifications exist withinthe scope of the spirit of the invention as described.

Although the disclosed invention has been described with reference tovarious exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that theseembodiments are merely illustrative of the principals and application ofthe present invention. Those having skill in the art would recognizethat various modifications to the exemplary embodiments may be made,without departing from the scope of the invention.

Moreover, it should be understood that various features and/orcharacteristics of differing embodiments herein may be combined with oneanother. It is therefore to be understood that numerous modificationsmay be made to the illustrative embodiments and that other arrangementsmay be devised without departing from the scope of the invention.

Furthermore, other embodiments of the invention will be apparent tothose skilled in the art from considerations of the specification andpractice of the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that thespecification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a scopeand spirit being indicated by the claims.

Finally, it is noted that, as used in this specification and theappended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the,” include pluralreferents unless expressly and unequivocally limited to one referent,and vice versa. As used herein, the term “include” or “comprising” andits grammatical variants are intended to be non-limiting, such thatrecitation of an item or items is not to the exclusion of other likeitems that can be substituted or added to the recited item(s).

One example of the device in its simplest form is a mattress, for asingle occupant, similar to the twin size bed, with the main bodyportion with the head and foot end, removable face cushion that can beconverted into a cushion placed between the legs. The interchangeablecushions alongside the face portion can be removed to accommodate aprone position. Cushions specifically designed for side sleeping andshoulder pressure relief can also be placed alongside the head sectionof the main body portion. The device can be made from any type ofmaterial used for mattresses, including but not limited to types offoam, latex, cotton or air inflatable material.

Other examples of the device are a larger bed, designed to accommodatemore than one occupant and the modifications to the upper or headportion can vary several ways. This bed has a main body portion whichincludes one or more head portions positioned toward the side of the bedand also can have an open space toward the midline next to the headportion to be adapted for side sleeping using a pillow-like piece thatis concave in shape along the bottom side to allow for cushion for thehead but also keep a space underneath for the arm and shoulder to restwithout uncomfortable pressure to the shoulder. On the opposite side ofthis open space can be either another head portion for a prone sleeperor a softer cushion with the lower portion having a beanbag typematerial to accommodate a side sleeper where the loose beanbag typematerial can reduce the shoulder pressure.

The concave shaped pillow used for head support and relief of shoulderpressure can also be adapted for a reclined position for reading orwatching television.

Another example of the present invention is where the entire mattressand adaptable pieces are made of a material that can be inflated anddeflated. This would be for use in a camping setting or even as a guestmattress in the home.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Brief Description of the Drawings

FIG. 1 is the king or queen size version of the invention which cansleep two people. This figure also includes the raising and loweringportion.

FIG. 2 is an exploded version of the present invention, the main bodymattress, the portions at the top which raise and lower for individual'scomfort, the frame and headboard, and the accessory pieces for thedifferent sleeping positions.

FIG. 3 is the present invention with the main body piece of the mattressand the accessory pieces for a normal reclined position.

FIG. 4 is an environmental view of the present invention being used fora side sleeping position with the accessory to relieve pressure on theshoulder.

FIG. 5 is an environmental view of the present invention being used fora side sleeping position with the accessory to relieve pressure on theshoulder where the arm slides underneath the accessory.

FIG. 6 is an environmental view, from the side perspective, of thepresent invention being used for a prone sleeping position including theoption for raising and lowering the upper portion of the mattress.

FIG. 7 is an environmental view of the present invention, from asuperior perspective, being used for a prone sleeping position includingaccessory pieces for the hands.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1. An alternate embodiment of the device 200 to accommodate one ormore persons. The removable cushion 204 can be taken out to sleep in theprone position and can even be placed between the legs as a cushion. Theheadboard 216 and the mattress frame 218 can be raised to allow forairflow for prone positioning. The interchangeable cushions 206 and 208can be removed and adapted for the desired sleeping position.

FIG. 2. An exploded view of the preferred embodiment of the device 100on the adjustable bedframe 102 and headboard 116. Also showing theremovable cushion 104, standard interchangeable cushions 106 and 108,modified cushion 110 which is adapted to prone or side sleeping, showingthe hollow portion to accommodate an arm. Cushion 112 is anotherinterchangeable portion adapted for side sleeping, being shorter inlength than 108 or 106 to allow for the shoulder and arm to rest downinto the recessed portion of the mattress. Additional cushions 114 areshown as well.

FIG. 3. A perspective view of the device 100 on the frame 102, headboard116, interchangeable cushions 106 and 108 in place and removable cushion104.

FIG. 4. An environmental view showing the subject laying the sideposition on the device 100 with the removable cushion 104 placed betweenthe legs for added comfort. Subjects arm is resting in the recessedportion of the mattress which is allowed by the interchangeable cushion112 and added head and neck comfort by cushion 114.

FIG. 5. An environmental view showing the subject laying in the sideposition on the device 100 with the removable cushion 104 placed betweenthe legs and using the interchangeable cushion 110, not depicted is thearm being underneath the cushion 110 which allows this because there isa hollow portion.

FIG. 6. An environmental view showing the subject laying in the proneposition on device 100 with the removable cushion 104 removed, theadjustable upper portion 118 and headboard 116 in a raised position toallow for additional airflow to the face.

FIG. 7. An environmental view from a different perspective showing thesubject in the prone position with the interchangeable cushions 110,112, 114, 116 removed, the removeable cushion 104 removed and theadjustable feature 118 to raise and lower the upper portion to allow foradditional airflow to the face.

What is claimed is:
 1. An adaptable mattress comprising: At least fourpieces wherein there is a main body portion with a head end and a footend, wherein said main body portion includes a head portion; a removableface portion from said head portion; At least a first and secondinterchangeable cushion to fit alongside the head portion adaptable tovarious sleeping or resting positions; Additional supportcushions/objects.
 2. The mattress from claim 1, wherein saidinterchangeable portion is adaptable for a prone sleeping position. 3.The mattress from claim 1, wherein said interchangeable portion isadaptable for a side sleeping position.
 4. The mattress from claim 1,wherein said interchangeable portion is adaptable for a reclinedsleeping position.
 5. The mattress from claim 1, wherein saidinterchangeable portion is adaptable for any desired sleeping position.6. An adaptable mattress comprising: At least four pieces wherein thereis a main body portion with a head end and a foot end, wherein said mainbody portion includes a head portion; a removable face portion from saidhead portion; At least a first and second interchangeable cushion to fitalongside the head portion adaptable to various sleeping or restingpositions; Additional support cushions/objects.
 7. The mattress fromclaim 6, wherein said mattress is set upon an adjustable frame with anadjustable headboard, said frame and said headboard can raise and lowerto create space for airflow below said head portion when the mattress isused for a prone sleeping position.
 8. The mattress from claim 6,wherein said first and second interchangeable cushions are adapted for astandard mattress form.
 9. The mattress from claim 6, wherein said firstand second interchangeable cushions are adapted for prone or sidesleeping, one or more said interchangeable cushions having a recessedportion where user's arm can fit underneath the cushion.
 10. Themattress from claim 6, wherein said first and second interchangeablecushions are adapted for the side sleeping position, one or more saidcushions affixing to said mattress to allow for a recessed open spacefor user's arm to rest.
 11. The mattress of claim 6, wherein saidmattress is adapted for more than 1 person.